Cosmological tests and study of the innermost regions of quasars from observations of gravitational lenses

In force date
Call year
2016
Investigator
Evencio
Mediavilla Gradolph
Amount granted to the IAC Consortium
59.169,00 €
Description

Gravitational lenses are a powerful tool for Astrophysics and Cosmology. We will combine the experience of our group in theory and observation of gravitational lenses with the aim to reach the following goals:
(i) estimate the dark matter content of the Universe and discuss the dark energy models from the study of lens galaxy peculiar velocities;
(ii) probe CDM models from the effects of dark matter substructure on the images of lensed quasars (millilensing)
(iii) study (from high microlensing magnification events) the radial luminosity profiles of quasar accretion disks with horizon scale resolution
(iv) study the BLR structure and kinematics (in particular the Fe II and III emission regions) from microlensing induced variability in the emission line profiles
(v) study lensed quasar hosts from spectroastrometry
(vi) develop new numerical and statistical methods to study microlensing; (vii) detection of exoplanets through gravitational microlensing